NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Govt launches Rs 500 crore scheme to strengthen medical devices industry: Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister JP Nadda has launched a Rs 500 crore scheme to strengthen India’s medical devices industry, focusing on critical areas such as manufacturing key components and accessories, skill development, support for clinical studies, development of common infrastructure, and industry promotion.This initial outlay of Rs 500 crore will be for three years, up to financial year 2026-27.The overall scheme consists of five components, including common facilities for medical device clusters, capacity building and skill development, a marginal investment scheme for reducing import dependence, clinical studies support.
2. Shiv Nadar India’s most generous philanthropist, Nikhil Kamath youngest: Shiv Nadar, the founder of HCL Technologies, has retained his position as India’s most generous philanthropist for the third time in five years.The 79-year-old tech magnate donated Rs 2,153 crore in the financial year 2024 — translating to Rs 5.9 crore every single day, according to the EdelGive-Hurun India Philanthropy List 2024.Nadar’s philanthropic work is primarily channeled through the Shiv Nadar Foundation, with a strong emphasis on education and technology-driven initiatives.Rohini Nilekani, co-founder of Infosys and wife of Nandan Nilekani, took the lead as the most generous woman on the list with an annual donation of Rs 154 crore.The EdelGive-Hurun India Philanthropy List 2024 has revealed a remarkable surge in charitable donations across the country, with a collective donation of Rs 8,783 crore by 203 philanthropists, marking an impressive 55% increase in donations compared to two years ago.
3. Govt reconstitutes CAC to drive reforms, boost apprenticeship training: With an eye on boosting apprenticeship in the country, the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship (MSDE) has reconstituted the central apprenticeship council (CAC) to mull over reforms in the existing rules and suggest measures to increase the uptake of on the job training by the industry.
The reconstituted CAC will have a tenure of three years and will comprise 54 members consisting of representatives from various industry associations, public sector undertakings, state governments and independent experts. The erstwhile council constituted in March 2019 had 46 members.MSDE Minister Jayant Chaudhary will be chairing the new council, while Rajya Sabha member Vikramjit Singh Sahney will be the vice-chairman of the council. Earlier, union minister of state, MSDE was the vice-chairman.
4. 9 November – National Legal Service Day: National Legal Services Day is observed every year on 9 November across the country.The day is primarily celebrated to promote legal awareness and ensure access to justice for all citizens, especially those from marginalized communities.This day is to educate people about their legal rights and promote mechanisms for dispute resolution through a number of projects and activities to create a more equitable society.Theme 2024 – Celebrating equal access to justice On November 9, 1995, the Legal Services Authorities Act was created with the intention of providing legal aid to underprivileged and marginalized people. As a result of the historic law, the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) was established on December 5, the same year. Since then, National Legal Services Day is observed every year.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Australia proposes ban on social media for children under 16: The Australian government will legislate for a ban on social media for children under 16.Australia is trialing an age-verification system to assist in blocking children from accessing social media platforms, as part of a range of measures that include some of the toughest controls imposed by any country to date.A number of countries have already vowed to curb social media use by children through legislation, though Australia’s policy is one of the most stringent.No jurisdiction so far has tried using age verification methods like biometrics or government identification to enforce a social media age cut-off, two of the methods being trialed.Australia’s other world-first proposals are the highest age limit set by any country, no exemption for parental consent and no exemption for pre-existing accounts.
2. 9 November – Uttarakhand Foundation Day: Uttarakhand Foundation Day is annually celebrated on November 9, and in 2024, it marks the 24th anniversary of the formation of the state.Uttarakhand is commonly referred to as the “Land of the Gods (Devbhumi),” due to several Hindu pilgrimage sites in the state.The state of Uttarakhand was formed on November 9, 2000, after a prolonged struggle by the people of the region, who sought a separate state due to cultural, geographic, and administrative differences from Uttar Pradesh.Originally known as Uttaranchal, it formed the 27th state of India, with the name being officially changed to Uttarakhand in 2007.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Harmanpreet Singh wins FIH Player of the Year; PR Sreejesh receives Goalkeeper of Year title at FIH Hockey Awards: Indian Men’s Hockey Team captain Harmanpreet Singh and former goalkeeper PR Sreejesh have won the FIH Player of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year titles for the year 2024. Both Harmanpreet and Sreejesh received recognition during the 49th FIH Statutory Congress in Oman.Two-time Olympic bronze medallist Harmanpreet received over 63 per cent of all votes cast in his category. Similarly, Sreejesh was highly popular among voters, polling over 62 per cent of all votes in his category.The winners were selected through a voting process involving an expert panel, national hockey associations, fans, and media.Harmanpreet Singh won his third FIH Player of the Year award in 2024, having won it in 2021 and 2022. Incidentally, another Indian, Hardik Singh, won the 2023 Award.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. SBI and APIX team launches SBI Innovation Hub for Fintechs: State Bank of India (SBI) has launched the ‘SBI Innovation Hub’ in partnership with APIX, a global collaborative innovation platform for financial institutions and FinTechs.SBI Innovation Hub provides a dedicated space for FinTechs, startups, and innovators worldwide to design next-generation financial solutions tailored to meet the digital needs of SBI’s diverse customer base.The initiative seeks to promote financial innovation, and digital transformation, and enhance financial inclusion.To facilitate this digital transformation, the SBI Innovation Hub provides participants with access to over 250 financial service APIs from SBI. This allows them to create and customize their solutions within a secure Sandbox environment.
2. Cashfree launches pilot for cross-border payments: Cashfree Payments has partnered with Indian companies like Swiggy and Nykaa to enable international customers to make payments in India.This pilot program caters to users of RuPay cards and UPI, which are not typically recognized for global transactions.Cashfree’s cross-border payments license allows them to facilitate seamless transactions for both import and export businesses, as well as individual users.This pilot programme caters to UPI and RuPay card users, which are not typically recognised for global transactions.
3. GenWise launches UPI payments for senior citizens with secure interface: GenWise has launched the UPI payments on its app for senior citizens. This is the industry’s first-ever introduction of UPI for elders, offering a simple user interface, enhanced security, and cyber fraud awareness.GenWise UPI has been developed in collaboration with Axis Bank, which is acting as the sponsor bank for facilitating transactions.Over the years, UPI has become an integral part of everyday transactions, with over 400 million unique users.In October alone, the platform processed over 16.5 billion transactions. However, over 250 million Indian elders have remained less connected to this transformation due to fear of the unknown and the complex interfaces of other apps.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Winners of the 2024 FIH Hockey Star Awards: Player of the Year
Male- Harampreet Singh (India)
Women- Yibbi Jansen (Netherlands)
Goalkeeper of the Year
Male- PR Sreejesh (India)
Women- Ye Jiao (China)
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